Hair waving device



Dec. 23, 1969 J. L. MURRAY ET AL 3,485,248

HAIR WAVING DEVICE Filed June 20, 1967 FIG. 2

COPPER PLATED POLYPROPYLENE SHELL FILLED WITH l8 GRAMS I OI-IEMIOAL- BOILED 3M|NUTES I I55I= I I l POLYPROPYLENE SHELL I5OF FILLED WITH l8 GRAMS CHEMICAL-BOILED 7 MINUTES I I45F L o I I4OF I I l3 6F---I I35F I POLYPROPYLENE SHELL 136E i FILLED WITH 22 GRAMS I WAX- BOILED l5 MINUTES I I25F i v I22'F- I26F l o 1 5 Io I5 TIME-MINUTES INVENTORS.

JEROME L. MURRAY CHARLES F. DE LONG BY JOHN P. CHANDLER THEIR ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 3,485,248 HAIR WAVING DEVICE Jerome L. Murray, 652 1st Ave. 10016, and Charles F. De Long, 225 E. 57th St. 10022, both of New York,

' Filed June 20, 1967, Ser. No. 647,363

Int. Cl. A45d 2/12 US. Cl. 132-43 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A hair Waving device comprising a cylindrical curler with the end walls forming a closed chamber, containing a thermophoric mixture and having an overall metallic plating thereon.

This invention relates to hair setting and hair waving devices of the type having a closed cylindrical cartridge or roller, usually formed of plastic material and containing a thermophoric mixture or heat storage compound, the mixture having the ability to absorb heat while being converted from a crystalline to a liquid condition and giving up the heat when returning to a crystalline condition. The cartridge is heated to a relatively high temperature, such as by placing it in boiling water for a time sufficient to cause the thermophoric material to melt and thus absorb the heat. The hair of the user is now wound around the roller and the accumulated heat is released and transferred to the hair for a suflicient period of time to impart a curl to the hair which lasts a reasonable length of time.

Various waxes and salts are used as the heat absorbing material and the devices are indefinitely re-usable. The plastic rollers also show small evidence of wear and the general arrangement is both inexpensive and efiicient except for the fact that considerable time is required, usually of the order of 15 minutes, for the heat from the heat retention material to pass through the plastic rollers.

Another objection to these plastic rollers resides in the fact that the temperature at different points on the roller varies considerably and this produces a hair wave of uncertain and erratic shape since the hair is very sensitive to temperature variations. An all metal tubular roller, for example, one of copper, would produce an acceptable curl but the weight would be objectionable and the cost of the metal tube would be prohibitive, especially as compared with a tube formed of plastic material.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide an improvement in these hair waving rollers wherein the heating time is reduced from 15 minutes to about three minutes, thus making the device much more acceptable to the feminine user. This is accomplished, briefly stated, by giving the entire outer surface of the plastic roller a thin metallic plating. Various metals can be used as the plating medium but we prefer to plate the rollers with copper since it appears to impart the most efficient heat transferring properties and it is relatively inexpensive since the deposited coating is exceedingly thin and remarkably adherent.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hair curling roller with salts or other materials contained therein having properties of prolonged heat retention, which not only requires far less time to bring it to the desired temperature, such as by dropping it into boiling water, but also retains the heat for a longer period of time and thus produces a more acceptable curl.

A further object of the invention is to produce a hair Waving roller which absorbs heat with unexpected speed and which increases the cost of the plastic roller only a fraction of a cent per unit.

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In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of tubular curler partially broken away to show the filling of thermophoric material therein;

FIG. 2 is a graph showing the time and temperature factors of the hair curler of the present invention as compared with a conventional curler using wax on the thermophoric material and one using a mixture of inorganic salts.

The curler 10 shown in FIG. 1 is of tubular construetion formed from plastic material with end walls 11, also of plastic, thus forming a chamber which is permanently closed during the normal life of the curler. Curlers of this character generally have projections or protuberances 12 to prevent the hair from sliding sideways after it has been wound thereon.

The roller may be made from lightweight plastic material such as polypropylene or polyethylene. It may also be formed from fiber glass. It is filled with a thermophoric mixture, shown at 14, of inorganic salts which generally give better results than waxes. These salts are well known in the art and are disclosed in Patents Nos. 1,887,618, 2,677,664 and 3,228,403, to mention only a few. Good results are also obtained by winding thin aluminum foil into rolls of a size to snugly fit in and therefor contact the walls of the curler. If the salts are used the curler should be at least partially filled with the same.

After the roller has been filled and closed as aforesaid, it is subjected to a metallic plating operation to form an overall thin coating of metal shown at 16.

The techniques for plating plastic materials with metal are well known and any of the commercial processes may be employed for this purpose. In general, the closed plastic curler is first run through a degreasing operation and then is placed in an etching bath, which prepares and conditions the surface to receive the tightly adherent metallic coating by electroplating.

We have discovered that an exceedingly thin metallic coating gives results just about as good as a much thicker coating. While we prefer a plating of copper, we also get good results from other metals, such as aluminum, silver, gold, chromium, etc.

The outstanding results achieved by the plated hair curler of the present invention are clearly shown by the graph in FIG. 2..

The conventional polypropylene shell filled with 22 grams of wax was placed in boiling water for 15 minutes and after removal from the water it had an external temperature after one minute of F., after 5 minutes a temperature of 122 F., after 10 minutes of 120 F. and finally after 15 minutes the temperature was 120 F.

The same shell filled with inorganic chemical salts was boiled for 7 minutes and the temperatures after 5, 10 and 15 minutes were 145 F., F. and 136 F., respectively.

The same shell plated, however, with copper and with the same thermophoric salts was placed in boiling water for only three minutes and had a temperature of 160 F. one minute after removal from the boiling water. The temperature dropped to 155 F., 150 F. and F. in 5, 10 and 15 minutes, respectively.

It was further established that with the curler of our invention all the usuable surface had the same temperature during each period, which was far from the case with the ordinary plastic curler of tests 1 and 2. Whatever may be the' ultimate explanation for the striking results achieved by our plated curler, it is clear that the presence of the overall plating causes a heat transfer from the boiling water through the plastic shell much more rapidly than with the unplated curler, which is then more unusual considering that the plastic shell is itself a heat insulator and its composition remained unchanged as a result of the plating.

It may also be pointed out that not only does the roller with the metallic plating heat up faster, and to a higher temperature, than does the unplated plastic roller, but it retains the heat for a longer period after the heat source is removed. No explanation can be given for this since the metal is a good conductor of heat and would be expected to dissipate the heat faster.

The plated roller of the present invention also lends itself to an improved heating device which forms no part of the present invention but comprises a series of electrically heated, semi-cylindrical seats on which the rollers are placed. This heats only the lower half of the cylinder but the heat is rapidly conducted to the upper half. This eliminates one of the principal objections to heating by boiling water which is not always available to the traveller as well as to the girl in college. Finally, to produce a good curl the roller should have a temperature of not less than 150 P. which temperature can almost be reached by imlmersing the improved roller in very hot tap water.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A lightweight hair curler comprising:

a cylindrical plastic shell;

4 fluid-tight walls at each end of the shell forming a closed chamber;

a thermoplastic composition having significant heat retention properties at least partially filling the shell; protuberances formed on the outer surface of the shell;

and a thin metallic plating on the entire outer surface of the shell. 2. The curler of claim 1 wherein the metallic plating is of copper.

3. The curler of claim 1 wherein the metallic plating is of aluminum.

4. The curler of claim 1 wherein the metallic plating is of silver.

5. The curler of claim 1 wherein the metallic plating is of gold.

6. The curler of claim 1 wherein the metallic plating is of chromium.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,960,989 11/1960 Magee 132-39 3,103,934 9/1963 Sabourin 13233 3,228,403 1/1966 Pasternack l32--36.2

E. BARRY SHAY, Primary Examiner G. E. McNEILL, Assistant Examiner 

